Scaffolding

ABSTRACT

Scaffolding comprises a plurality of scaffolding members, each of which comprises an upright and a generally horizontal support member coupled to the upright. A distal end of each support member is configured to rest on a building structure.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to scaffolding.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Scaffolding to support workers above the ground during construction iswell-known in the art and many variations have been considered. One verycommon type of scaffolding to support workers above the ground duringconstruction of a wall or other structure is shown in FIG. 1 and isgenerally identified by reference numeral 10. The scaffolding 10includes a set of four uprights 11, only two of which are shown, bridgedby sets of horizontal support members 12. Cross-braces (not shown)extend between pairs of uprights to stabilize the scaffolding. Thehorizontal support members 12 provide a frame across which a set ofplanks 13, typically made of wood, are laid to form a platform uponwhich workers can stand. As progress is made during construction, thehorizontal support members 12 are raised and locked in place at newheights, allowing workers standing atop thereof to work on highersections of the wall being constructed. Additional uprights can beaffixed atop the scaffolding, thus allowing higher levels of horizontalsupport members and platforms to be put in place.

Scaffolding of this nature is generally ground-based i.e. supportedeither directly or indirectly on the ground surface. When indirectlysupported on the ground surface, the uprights are typically placed atopwood blocks 14 that are placed on the ground. The blocks 14 distributethe weight of the scaffolding 10 over a larger area of the ground thanprovided by the ends of the uprights to inhibit the uprights fromsinking into the ground.

Although the above-described scaffolding is common, it is time consumingto erect. Also, during construction of such scaffolding, care must betaken to ensure that the uprights firmly rest on the ground and,thereafter, that each horizontal support member is level. As thescaffolding is generally free-standing, it is also important to ensurethat the scaffolding is stable. As will be appreciated, slight shiftingin the ground can result in unstable scaffolding or, even worse, itscollapse.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide novelscaffolding.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, in one aspect of the present invention there is providedscaffolding, comprising a plurality of scaffolding members. Each of thescaffolding members comprises an upright and a generally horizontalsupport member coupled to the upright. A distal end of the supportmember is configured to rest on a building structure.

In one embodiment, the support member includes a wall bracket at thedistal end of the support member. The wall bracket includes a generallyhorizontal tongue extending from the support member. The tongue isvertically spaced from the support member and has a thicknesssubstantially equal to the thickness of a layer of cement placed betweenlayers of bricks forming a wall. Opposite sides of the tongue areinwardly tapered in a direction towards the distal end. The wall bracketalso includes a web oriented generally at a right angle to the supportmember that bridges the support member and the tongue. The web extendsupwardly from the support member to position the tongue above thesupport member.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided ascaffolding member comprising an upright and a horizontal support membercoupled to the upright at one end. The support member has a bracket atan opposite end thereof. The bracket is configured to rest on a buildingstructure.

The present scaffolding takes advantage of a previously-built structure,such as for example a foundation wall, to provide support. By restingthe scaffolding on the foundation wall, the scaffolding is no longer afree-standing structure. A portion of the load on the scaffolding isdistributed downwardly to the foundation wall. As fewer uprights rest onthe ground, which is generally less stable than the foundation wall,undesired shifting of the scaffolding is avoided. Further, as fewercross-braces are required, the scaffolding can be erected quickly,efficiently and safely.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment will now be described, by way of example only, withreference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side schematic view of prior art scaffolding;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of scaffolding adjacent a buildingfoundation wall in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side schematic view of a scaffolding member forming part ofthe scaffolding of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a side schematic view of the scaffolding of FIG. 2, supportinga level of conventional scaffolding.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 2 shows the present scaffolding 20 that takes advantage of apreviously built structure such as for example, a completed buildingfoundation wall 24 on which framing 26 is constructed, to providesupport for the scaffolding. As a result, the scaffolding 20 is morestable than prior art scaffolding since the scaffolding 20 distributesweight on the foundation wall 24.

Scaffolding 20 includes a pair of scaffolding members 32 spacedapproximately eighty-four inches apart and coupled together bycross-braces 34 to stabilize the scaffolding 20 and inhibit lateralmovement of the scaffolding members 32. As the scaffolding members 32are identified only one will be described.

As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the scaffolding member 32 comprises anupright 36 coupled to a horizontal support member 56. The upright 36 isconstructed from a four-foot length of two-inch by two-inch steeltubing. A threaded bolt 40 extends from the bottom of the upright 36. Asthe inner dimensions of the upright 36 are sized to just accommodate thethreaded bolt 40, the threaded bolt 40 slides into the interior of theupright 36 with some resistance to inhibit the threaded bolt 40 fromsimply sliding out of the bottom end of the upright 36 when the upright36 is not in use. A foot 44 is secured to the bottom end of the threadedbolt 40. The foot 44 in this embodiment is a plate of metal that iswider than the upright 36. The foot 44 distributes the weight borne bythe upright 36, and reduces lateral slippage. A wingnut 48 is threadedonto the threaded bolt 40 between the upright 36 and the foot 44.

The upright 36 has a plurality of through-holes 52 provided therein. Thethrough-holes 52 are generally evenly spaced substantially along thelength of the upright 36. The through-holes 52 are one half-inch indiameter and are spaced about six inches apart.

The horizontal support member 56 is constructed from two-inch bythree-inch steel tubing and is approximately 88 inches in length. As thehorizontal support member 56 must bear significant weight, it isoriented such that its depth (vertical height when in position) isgreater than its width (lateral width across) to provide additionalresistance to the vertical force of gravity. The horizontal supportmember 56 has a sleeve 60 welded to one end that is complementary inshape to the upright 36. In this embodiment, the sleeve 60 isconstructed from a four-inch length of two-and-one-half inch bytwo-and-one-half inch generally rectangular steel tubing. The sleeve 60has a lengthwise passage that is dimensioned to slidably receive theupright 36. Aligned holes 64 are centrally disposed in two oppositelateral sides of the sleeve 60. The dimensions of the holes 64 aresimilar to through-holes 52. An L-shaped adjusting pin 68 is connectedto the sleeve 60 via a cable 70. The adjusting pin 68 in this embodimentis a one half-inch diameter bent metal bolt. The adjusting pin 68 issized to pass through the sleeve 60 and upright 36 when the holes 64 inthe sleeve 60 are brought into alignment with one of the through-holes52 in the upright 36.

A pair of upstanding bracing pins 72 a, 72 b is provided on the surfaceof the horizontal support member 56 for receiving the cross-braces 34.The bracing pins 72 a, 72 b are one-inch long, half-inch diameter steelrods that are welded to the upper surface of the horizontal supportmember 56. Bracing pin 72 a is located six inches from the sleeve 60,and bracing pin 72 b is located forty-two inches from bracing pin 72 a.A pair of upstanding scaffold pins 76 a and 76 b for receivingscaffolding uprights is provided on the upper surface of the horizontalsupport member 56. Scaffolding pin 76 a is located three inches from thesleeve 60, and scaffolding pin 76 b is located forty-eight inches fromthe scaffolding pin 76 a. The scaffolding pins 76 a, 76 b in thisembodiment are two-and-one-half inches long, one-inch diameter steelrods that are welded to the horizontal support member 56.

The horizontal support member 56 has a wall bracket 80 at its other endopposite the sleeve 60. The wall bracket 80 is constructed of ahalf-inch thick steel plate that is bent to form an angle defining agenerally planar horizontal tongue 84 and a generally vertical joiningweb 86. The tongue 84 is four inches long, four inches wide, has taperedsides, and a thickness of about one-half inch and is angled slightlydownwards. The joining web 86 is oriented generally to form a rightangle with the horizontal support member 56 and is welded thereto.

Turning now to FIGS. 2 to 4, deployment of the scaffolding 20 duringconstruction of a wall will be described. Initially, the ground wherefeet 44 will rest is prepared by packing it down to reduce the chance ofthe ground shifting at a later time. With the wingnuts 48 rotated untilthey are adjacent the feet 44, the feet 44 are placed either directly onthe ground or atop wooden blocks 86, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Wherewooden blocks 86 are employed, the wooden blocks 86 are typicallyselected to have a larger surface area than the feet 44 to furtherdistribute the weight borne by the scaffolding 20 and to reduce lateralslippage.

The scaffolding members 32 are then assembled by sliding the sleeves 60of the horizontal support members 56 onto the uprights 36 and placingthe tongues 84 of the wall brackets 80 onto the upper outer corner ofthe foundation wall 24 where work is to be performed.

For each scaffolding member 32, with its foot 44 either resting on theground or on the wooden block 86, the sleeve 60 is adjusted until thehorizontal support member 56 is level. If the holes 64 in the sleeve 60are aligned with a through-hole 52 in the upright 36 at this point, theadjusting pin 68 is placed through both the sleeve holes 64 and thethrough-hole 52 in the upright 36, and the height adjustment of thehorizontal support member 56 is complete.

If the holes 64 in the sleeve 60 are not aligned with a through-hole 52in the upright 36 when the horizontal support member 56 is level, thesleeve 60 is slid downwards along the upright 36 until the holes 64 inthe sleeve 60 are aligned with the most proximal through-hole 52 in theupright 36. At this point, the adjusting pin 68 is inserted through theholes 64 in the sleeve and the through-hole 52 in the upright 36. Thewingnut 48 is then turned counter-clockwise to raise it from the foot44. As the wingnut 48 is raised, the upright 36 is raised with it as thebottom end of the upright 36 rests on the wingnut 48. The wingnut 48 isturned in this fashion until the horizontal support member 56 is raisedto a level disposition.

FIG. 3 better illustrates one of the scaffolding members 32 afterdeployment. As can be seen, the foot 44 of the upright 36 rests on thewooden block 86. The tongue 84 rests atop the foundation wall 24. Thesleeve 60 and wingnut 48 are positioned such that horizontal supportmember 56 is level.

Once both of the scaffolding members 32 are deployed and are oriented asshown in FIG. 3, the cross-braces 34 are attached to the horizontalsupport members 56 via the bracing pins 72 a, 72 b. Once thecross-braces 34 are installed on the bracing pins 72 a, 72 b, lockingpins 92 are placed through small through-holes in the bracing pins 72 a,72 b to retain the cross-braces 34.

With the scaffolding 20 erected in the above manner, construction of thewall atop the foundation wall 24 can be commenced. During constructionof a wall on the foundation 24, a layer of cement 96 is laid upon theexposed upper surface of the foundation wall 24. The thickness of eachtongue 84 is generally to be the same as that of the layer of cementlaid on the foundation wall 24. The cement 96 generally is applied tothe areas around, but not touching, the tongues 84. A layer of bricks 98is then laid atop of the layer of cement 96 and the tongues 84.Subsequent layers of cement 96 and bricks 98 are then laid.

FIG. 4 illustrates the scaffolding 20 of FIG. 3, showing the tongue 84of one of the scaffolding members 32 wedged under a number of layers ofbricks 98. The bracket 80 is designed such that the load on thescaffolding 20 is principally redirected downward on the top of thefoundation wall 24. A small component of the force is however directedtowards the foundation wall 24.

In FIG. 4, the scaffolding 20 is also shown supporting an additionallevel of scaffolding 99. Scaffolding 99 includes uprights 100 placedatop the horizontal support members 56, over the scaffolding pins 76 a,76 b. The pins 76 a and 76 b are roughly the same size as the internaldiameter of the additional scaffolding uprights 100 and thus provide asecure fit. The scaffolding pins 76 a, 76 b are also sufficiently longto inhibit the scaffolding from being removed from the scaffolding 20vertically. Crossbeams 104 extend between adjacent pairs of thescaffolding uprights 100 to provide stability to the scaffolding 99 andto serve as supports for platforms. Additional cross-braces (not shown)are affixed to the scaffolding uprights 100 and the crossbeams 104 tofurther stabilize the scaffolding 99.

Planks 108 are deployed across the crossbeams 104 to form platforms onwhich workers can stand allowing workers to work on higher portions ofthe wall. Planks 108 can also be deployed across the horizontal supportmembers 56 adjacent the wall brackets 80 to form an additional workplatform. As will be appreciated additional scaffolding 99 and platformscan be added on as required to accommodate the needs of the buildingproject.

Upon completion of the wall, when the scaffolding 20 is no longerrequired, the additional scaffolding 99 built atop the scaffolding 20,if it exists, is disassembled as scaffolding typically is. Next, thecross-braces 34 are removed from the horizontal support members 56. Oncethe cross-braces 34 have been removed, the tongues 84 are removed fromthe wall. This is typically achieved by applying force on the uprights36 in a direction away from the wall. As the tongues 84 are tapered inwidth, and no or little contact is made between the tongues 84 and thecement 96 to bind the tongues 84 in place, they are generally readilyremoved from between the bricks 98 and the foundation wall 24. It willbe appreciated, however, that some contact between the cement placed onthe foundation and the tongues may occur without restricting removal ofthe tongues from the constructed wall. The voids in the wall left oncethe tongues 84 of the scaffolding 20 are then filled with cement.

While the bracket 80 has been illustrated as being generally L-shaped,other variations will occur to those skilled in the art. Additionally,where the exterior of the wall being constructed is not perpendicular toa level plane, the angle of the wall bracket can be alteredcorrespondingly.

The scaffolding members are described as including sleeves slidablealong uprights and lockable along the uprights using pins. Those ofskill in the art will appreciate that any suitable adjusting mechanismcan be employed to lock the horizontal support members at set heightsalong the uprights.

While the described embodiment makes use of pins along the upper surfaceof the horizontal support members to retain the uprights of additionalscaffolding, other means for securing additional scaffolding uprightsatop the scaffolding members will occur to those of skill in the art.For example, brackets can be welded onto the top surface of thehorizontal support members to securely restrict lateral movement ofadditional scaffolding uprights placed on the scaffolding members. Inthis case, the brackets are dimensioned to restrict accidental slippageof the additional scaffolding uprights.

Gussets can be employed between the horizontal support members and thebrackets to strengthen the joint therebetween and to reduce bending ofthe tongues.

Although a preferred embodiment has been described, those of skill inthe art will appreciate that variations and modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by theappended claims.

1. Scaffolding, comprising: a plurality of scaffolding members, each ofsaid scaffolding members comprising an upright and a generallyhorizontal support member coupled to said upright, a distal end of saidsupport member being configured to rest on a building structure 2.Scaffolding according to claim 1, wherein said support member includes awall bracket at said distal end.
 3. Scaffolding according to claim 2,wherein said wall bracket includes a generally horizontal tongueextending from said support member.
 4. Scaffolding according to claim 3,wherein said tongue is vertically spaced from said support member. 5.Scaffolding according to claim 4, wherein said tongue has a thicknesssubstantially equal to the thickness of a layer of cement placed betweenlayers of bricks forming a wall.
 6. Scaffolding according to claim 5,wherein opposite sides said tongue are inwardly tapered in a directiontowards said distal end.
 7. Scaffolding according to claim 5, whereinsaid wall bracket includes a web oriented generally at a right angle tosaid support member and bridging said support member and tongue, saidweb extending upwardly from said support member to position said tongueabove said support member.
 8. Scaffolding according to claim 7, whereinsaid web and tongue form an angle equal to about 90 degrees. 9.Scaffolding according to claim 4, wherein said building structure is afoundation wall.
 10. Scaffolding according to claim 3, where saidsupport members are moveable along and lockable to said uprights atselected positions.
 11. Scaffolding according to claim 10, furthercomprising: cross bracing extending between said scaffolding members toinhibit lateral movement therebetween.
 12. Scaffolding according toclaim 11 wherein said cross bracing engages pins on said supportmembers.
 13. Scaffolding according to claim 12, wherein opposite sidessaid tongue are inwardly tapered in a direction towards said distal end.14. Scaffolding according to claim 11 further comprising scaffoldingretaining pins on said support memebers.
 15. A scaffodling member,comprising: an upright; and a horizontal support member coupled to saidupright at one end and having a bracket at an opposite end, said bracketbeing configured to rest on a building structure.
 16. A scaffoldingmember according to claim 15, wherein said bracket includes a generallyhorizontal tongue extending from said support member.
 17. A scaffoldingmember according to claim 16, wherein said tongue is vertically spacedfrom said support member.
 18. A scaffolding member according to claim17, wherein said tongue has a thickness substantially equal to thethickness of a layer of cement placed between layers of bricks forming awall.
 19. A scaffolding member according to claim 18, wherein oppositesides said tongue are inwardly tapered in a direction towards saiddistal end.
 20. A scaffolding member according to claim 19, wherein saidweb and tongue form an angle equal to about 90 degrees.